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Those Darn Cellphones
Written by Robert Vance on March 19, 2008 – 10:26 amIt happens at least twice a day. I’m in the middle of a great class. Everything is going well. I have the students attention and they are enjoying the topic. And then suddenly, someone’s cell phone starts blaring a Britney Spears song or worst, a Backstreet Boys tune. The magic that I had been working on the class is destroyed as everyone turns to look at the ‘guilty party.’ The worst part is, the ‘guilty party’ has already answered the phone and is already in the middle of a conversation by the time I get my thoughts collected again.
Chinese people are addicted to their cellphones just like Americans are hooked on sugar. Vibrate? Silent mode? Forget it. If someone gets a phonecall, they want to make sure that they hear it and that everyone else knows about it as well. It’s annoying but it’s one of those cultural things. Whether in class, church, or an important business meeting, a ringing phone takes precedent over everything else.
What can I do about it? I guess I could frown at the offender but what is that going to do? No, I’ll just have to let it go and prepare for their moments when it seems like I have to start the class all over again.
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I am surprised to hear this, as many schools in the USA have rules against students using cell phones. Once when I was walking down the hall of a public highschool between class, my cellphone rang and I answered. A minute later I looked up while I was talking to see a fellow student giving me warning looks. I asked him what the problem was, and he told me that we werent allowed to talk on our cell phones in school. This contrasts greatly with what you say the schools in China are like. It seems that it would significantly slow the learning of many students to have cell phones ringing and conversations going on during class. It also seems disrespectful to the teacher to answer your cell phone while he is teaching. Its too bad that cell phones are allowed in the schools, because China’s system of education could be much more efficient if they were banned.
Mr. Vance, your normally high standards are slipping here……How would a student answering his or her cellphone in your class be any different from somebody in the audience at the opera, answering their cellphone, which they should not have brought along in the first place.? You should grab the cellphone and throw it like a baseball against the blackboard…..!!
Actually, I should clarify what this post was actually about. This is one of the first posts I ever made on TeachAbroadChina.com, long before I knew this website would draw more traffic. At the time, I was teaching at an English training center for adults who of course were allowed to carry cell phones with them. While we had a policy of no cell phone use in the class, it is hard to tell the CEO of a company that he can’t answer his phone if he thinks his business is burning down to the ground or something.(from his perspective that is) I agree, in a children’s class, this would be unacceptable but it is harder to deal with in a class with adults who are paying big money to be taught English.
Then post a visible notice outside your classroom stating…’In English speaking countries, talking on your cellphone in class is considered to be poor manners and poor business practice’ or post a sign saying ‘The English instructor thanks you for NOT talking on your cellphone, or if you are teaching company employees, then tell them that they are WASTING their employer’s money by talking on their cellphones in your class….